Wire-holder for trolleys



L BULTHOUSE.

MRE HOLDER FOR TRLLEYS. .APPLlcATloM msu SEPT". 8.71919'. 1,367,535. PatentdFeb. 8, 1921.

2 SHEETS- SHEET I' J. UUHQSE.

WIRE HOLDER FOB BLLYS. APPLICATloN HLED SPT.8,1919.

1,367,535. Y Patented Feb'. 8, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PT'ENT JOHN BULTHOUSE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

WIREeI-IOLDEB FOR TBOLLEYS.

Application filed. September 8, .1.919.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, donn BULTHoUsn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in thecounty of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in fire-Holders for Trolleys, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to trolley wheel mechanisms, used on street cars and the like, for taking electric current off from a trolley wire suspended above the track on which the car travels and delivering it to the motor which propels the car.

The object of the invention is to provide a supplemental mechanism which can be applied with a minimum amount of change to the commercial trolley wheel end of a trolley pole for the purpose of retaining' the traveling wheel in proximity to the wire and doingl away with the trolley wheels being thrown off from the wire as frequently accidentally happens in ordinary practice.

The invention consists in means for carrying out the foregoing objects which can be easily and cheaply made; which is satisfactory in operation and is not readily liable to get out of order. More particularly the invention consists in many features and details of construction which will be hereafter more fully set forth in the specification and claim.

Referring' to the drawings in which like numerals represent the same parts throughout the several views,

Figure l is a rear; Fig. 2 a plan; and Fig. 3 a side view of a trolley equipped with mechanisms of this invention in its preferred form,

Fig. 4 is a changed position view of the mechanism of Fig. l.

The drawings show an ordinary wood or metal trolley pole l0 carryingthrough rivets or bolts 12 a bifurcated upper end which, between its two arms, 14, supports the usual trolley wheel 18. In commercial construction as sold in the trade this wheel 18 is journaled on a short shaft carried by these arms 14. In applying the device of this invention the short shaft referred to is removed and the relatively longer shaft 20 shown in the drawings is substituted therefor. Shaft 20 is of sufficient length to receive and retain coiled springs 22, held in place at their outer ends by washers 24. bearinga against suitable retaining devices such as Cotter pins Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 8, M121.

Serial No. 322,377.

nterposed between the inner ends of the springs 22 and the adjacent arm 14 is a lever arm 28 having adjacent to the point where the shaft 2O passes through it a thickened portion pr vided with a knife edge 30 bearing against the adjacent arm 14. The hole in the arm through which shaft 2O passes is made sufficiently large so that the arm 28 can rock upon its knife edge 80 in the plane of the shaft 20. The upper ends of these arms 28 carry clamping jaws 32 provided at their front and rear ends with curved points 34 flared apart so as to make a Vshaped entrance 86 leading` to the line 88 between the jaws 82. These arms 28 are in their upper portions curved about but clear of the trolley wheel 18 andthe jaws 32 are so placed that they are normally above and do not interfere with the trolley wire 40 when it is in contact with the trolley wheel. The wire 40 is conventionally shown as suspended from supports 41 which may be carried by street cross wires or otherwise in the usual manner.

The lower ends of the arms 28 are each provided with elongated slots 42 through which passes a horizontal rod 44 sustained by a bracket 46, carried by the trolley pole and in the particular case here illustrated held in place by the nut 48. This bracket prevents the arms 28 and attached parts from rotating about the shaft 20. Sun rounding` rod 44 and between it and each adjacent arm 28 is a compression spring 50 normally tending to force the lower portions of the lever arms 28 outward and thus hold the jaws 32 in Contact with each other along' the line 38. These springs 50 are, however, of sufficiently light tension that when, as the trolley wheel moves along the trolley wire and reaches a trolley wire support 41, support 41 slides in between the jaws 32 and separates said jaws against the action of springs 50, with the result that the device can pass each and every support 4l withe out disturbing the effective hold of the arms 28 over the trolley wheel.

Means are provided under the control of the operator for separating the jaws 32 when it is desired to pull the trolley down for any purpose as, for instance, when crossing an intersectingf street car line. In the particular case here illustrated this consists in a link or clevis 52 attached to the trolley rope 54 of ordinary construction, said clevis 52 being connected to the lower portions ot arms 28 in any suitable manner as, for instance, by the rods 5G pivoted at 60 having their opposite ends adjustably connected to the levers 28 by the nuts 62.

ln the operation ot the entire device the operator moves the parts to the position o1c Fig. et in order to allow the jaws 32 to pass up over the trolley wire t() and then releases a trolley rope 54% and the springs 50 move the lever arms 28 to the position of Figs. l, 2, and 8. its longas the trolley wheel is between trolley wire supports the parts remain in this position, but every time a trolley support all is reached this support l slips in between the jaws 32 separating them against the action of springs 50 in the manner described. frs soon as the device passes that particular trolley wire support ll the springs 50 return the parts to the nor* mal position ot Figs. l, 2, and 3.

HWhen an intersecting street car line is reached or it is otherwise desirable to remove the trolley wheel from the trolley wire the operator simply takes hold of the rope 5G and pulls down on it thus movingI the parts to the position oit' Fig. 4 in which position the trolley wheel can be lowered in the ordinary way by further pulling the rope 54.

Having thus described my invention what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

ln a mechanism of the class described, the combination with a trolley pole and its trolley wheel., of an elongated shaft through the wheel and pole, a lever arm on each side ot the trolley pole each perforated to receive said shaft, `means on the shaft urging each lever in the direction of the trolley pole, an extension on each lever between the lever and pole having a knife edge forming a ulorum permitting rocking;` of the lever and whichengages the trolley pole at a lined point during all rocking' movements ot said lever, means urging` the lower ends of the lever arms away from each other, and contacting jaws on the upper ends of said lever arms.

ln witness whereof, l have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence vof two witnesses.

JQHN BULTHOUSE.

Witnesses: Y

DWIGHT B. Crinnvnn,

RosnNTHAL. 

